SILENT BARN NEWSLETTER #08: HYPERACTIVE LAND WHALES

At last Mondays Meeting (1/2), we discussed a variety of topics that were very exciting. We discussed real estate updates. Kb came prepared with new properties that might fit the requirements of our space and budget. We plan to further investigate renovation costs of the spaces we've been looking into to realistically determine if the spaces we discussed are feasible. We discussed the possibility of buying property vs renting and the details that go into buying property in New York. Joe talked to a friend who is knowledgeable about buying property in New York, and equipped us with information about mortgages, bank loans, and where we should start.

James came up with a beautiful idea for the future website.

We continued our conversation about public inclusion. We are on the road to making more of our conversations public through our ShhBarn google group. Also we all agreed that more information should be posted on facebook.

Joe brought in a great Zine about collectives vs. masses. We talked about expansion vs reproduction, and how in the end our long term goal is to inspire other collectives to make their own crazy houses.This is incredibly important in the dawn of recent DIY venue shut-downs. (You can read more about this in Village Voice in which Nat Roe was interviewed)

In addition, we want to bring in new people to spearhead new projects. Recently Ginny and Angie stepped up to spearhead the kickstarter prize project. Patty also stepped up as our meeting orchestrator! We still need people to head other projects: specifically Fiances, Archives, and the Barn Exam.

Also Jordan Michael decided to exhume the D!TKO! library and possibly start up Zine reading groups. He said something about wanting to live in the Brookyn Masonic temple- and that girls like masonic temples. I guess.

Much more was discussed. All of it was extremely productive and exciting. Hungry for more details? You can look into our fridge.

Everyone working on the Silent Barn has been busy with various projects, but don't worry! We haven't forgotten about our wonderful kickstarter supporters and their rewards. We are currently in the process of making t-shirts for the Silent Barn's kickstarter gifts, and I just wanted to send out a notice to assure everyone they are being made and will hopefully be sent out in the next few weeks.

If you're interested in all of the evolving craziness within the Silent Barn universe, please check out our website silentbarn.org/projects for project descriptions and updates. And, if you'd like to get further involved, take the BARN Exam to be entered into our volunteer database.

Don't hesitate to send me an email with questions or concerns. Thanks again for your support!

A lot of our plans since the summer (outside of the massive hurdle of closing on a property that all of us can call home for the next 5+ years) have been about decision-making and communication. These things use to simply happen in our bathrobes during breakfast, but times are much more complicated these days. Between us being physically spread out, us needing much more complex advice from a much wider range of people, and us needing to rely on a much larger group to get more issues tackled, we've had to change the way we're making, and talking about, plans.

This is a work in progress, but the current situation relies on us sending a billion emails back and forth between 15+ active members every week, each who is in charge of a "project" (examples include LLC paperwork, credit work for future lease, website archives, real estate searches, Realtor liason, volunteer management, organizing meetings, etc). For bigger decisions/discussions, those billion emails get distilled into a once-a-week meeting. Progress announcements get compiled into a weekly newsletter. The goal is to make sure those invested in the space (like all of you) get an opportunity to see what we're working on in this weird limbo between leaving 915 Wyckoff and throwing awesome shows in a new space.

While we think this is a good start, we'd also like to give you, the opportunity to also engage in these same conversations. At our last meeting we talked about how little ends up ever getting posted in our google group SHHbarn, and we'd like to begin changing that, and using SHHbarn as a platform for us to give updates about ideas and progress with the different projects - and for you to all feel comfortable posting your own ideas and concerns as well.

We'll still be publishing the newsletter and posting on Facebook and stuff, if you'd prefer to get your info that way instead, but this is where we'd like to be hashing out ideas straight out the oven, while they're still warm and gooey... We want everyone to ask us questions! Fantasize!

A good taste of some topics to be posted can be found in our archive of past updates, found here:

Future Website James Clark & I demystified the internet, and we are building a gigantic upload button. Who knows where this will go. The primary question the upload button will ask you is "Are you scared?", inspired by a communiqué from G Lucas Crane.

Current Website Joe changed the format of our current website. New lingo included. Check it out! silentbarn.org/projects

PAESTHEICS LLC UPDATE

In advance of purchasing a property or managing a property lease, the Silent Barn is ironing out the details for its municipal face, Paesthetics LLC. We're looking to flesh out some details regarding the organizations Board of Directors, its voting system, and its formal relationship to the Silent Barn community non-entity.

You're possibly tired of hearing about the BARN Exam (silentbarn.org/barnexam). Or, possibly, you have no idea what I'm referring to.

Either way, I can't emphasize enough how important it is to the SilentBarn project!

The BARN Exam is a set of questions cleverly designed to extract your

personality, interests,and skills. Your responses within the exam help us to learn about youand the best way to can get involved.

Ultimately, if you don't take the BARN we don't know who you are orhow you want to help! That said, if you've already taken the BARNExam, you can help further by sharing it, posting it, and getting your